Sponsorship guidelines

Finances

The development of new medications for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease has increased the willingness of pharmaceutical companies to sponsor organisations representing relatives and carers of Alzheimer patients.

As a consequence, it has become increasingly important for AE and its national member organisations to develop guidelines on how to deal with the requests of these companies.

The following guidelines are a first attempt to harmonise the relationship between European Alzheimer associations and the pharmaceutical industry.

AE welcomes the development of new anti-dementia drugs and the investment of the pharmaceutical industry in this field and will seek to establish close contacts with the relevant companies. It hopes to be kept informed of new developments in this sector.

In all dealings with the pharmaceutical industry, AE and its national organisations shall remain impartial and shall not endorse a particular manufacturer or a particular product.

Therefore AE and its national associations shall not enter into any agreement, which could threaten their non-profit status.

Information about members, donors or other confidential information about AE and its national associations shall remain the exclusive property of these and shall not be made available to any third party.

Information on drugs or clinical trials shall not be presented by AE or its national member associations unless it has been written by persons appointed by the organisations to do so.

AE and its national member associations are free to accept donations from pharmaceutical companies and other third parties. They will acknowledge such donations in the same way they acknowledge other donations by private persons.

When accepting sponsorship by pharmaceutical companies or other third parties, AE and its national member associations may acknowledge this sponsorship by appropriate means. Under no circumstances will this acknowledgement include an advertisement for a product.

Sponsorship does not entitle pharmaceutical companies and other third parties to determine the content of any publication or other information material produced by AE and its national members, nor does it entitle them to determine the programme or speakers at a conference or symposium organised by AE and its national members. At all times, AE and its members should have complete editorial and managerial control.

AE and its national member associations can lend their support for the development of information material or awareness campaigns by the pharmaceutical companies. Under no circumstances shall AE or its members give their support or logo for a campaign designed to advertise a product.

At all times, AE and its members will make sure that corporate support for their programs and materials cannot be interpreted as their endorsement of a business, company or product and they will take all necessary steps to avoid such appearance.

These guidelines constitute a minimal consensus between AE and its member organisations. They are binding on AE whereas the member organisations of AE have the right to adopt other Regulations not in conflict with the principles declared above for their dealings with the pharmaceutical industry and other third parties.

AE is bound by those guidelines and will not lend its support to events or publications of its member organisations or other interested parties that do not comply with them. The patronage or sponsorship of AE is therefore conditional on the acceptance of these guidelines by the applicant for sponsorship or patronage. AE will withdraw its support if in the course of a project or event, these guidelines are no longer respected.